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Belle Epoch

French term meaning 'Beautiful Age;' it refers to the decades leading up to World War I when Europe was at its peak of power.

balance-of-power

The European diplomatic goal of preventing any single nation from dominating the entire continent.

Crimean War

The first major war fought between European nations since the Napoleonic Wars; Russia faced an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, Britain, and France.

Balkan Peninsula

A large geographic region of southeastern Europe including Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, and Bosnia.

'the sick man of Europe'

Nickname of the Ottoman Empire in the 1800's and early 1900's as it slowly declined as a European power.

Bosporus and Dardanelles

The two strategic straits that connect the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

Florence Nightingale

A British nurse credited with professionalizing nursing and leading a successful public campaign for female nurses during the Crimean War.

nationalism

An emotional political philosophy that glorifies the nation as the most fundamental human bond.

'The sun never sets on the British Empire'

A famous description of the British Empire in the late 19th century indicating its vast global presence.

Splendid Isolation

Britain's foreign policy after the Crimean War focusing on building its Empire.

Great Reform Bill of 1867

Law that extended voting rights to urban working-class men in Britain.

Franchise Act of 1884

Law extending voting rights to rural laborers in Britain.

universal manhood suffrage

Political term meaning all adult men have the right to vote.

Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU)

Organization that led the fight for voting rights for British women.

Emmaline Pankhurst

Leading figure in the struggle for voting rights for British women.

Second French Empire (1852 – 1870)

Government of Emperor Napoleon III of France characterized by a dynamic period in history.

plebiscite

A direct vote by the common people on a significant issue.

Emperor Napoleon III

Nephew of Napoleon who became the ruler of France.

Suez Canal

Engineering feat linking the Mediterranean and Red Seas, built in the 1860s.

Piedmont – Sardinia

Most important Italian state in the 19th century leading unification efforts.

Franco-Prussian War (1870 – 1871)

Conflict leading to the unification of Germany, orchestrated by Chancellor Bismarck.

Third French Republic (1870 – 1940)

Established following France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War.

Paris Commune

Radical group that seized control of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War.

Dreyfus Affair

Political crisis in the Third Republic involving Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish Army officer.

anti-Semitism

Hatred of the Jewish religion and people.

Theodor Herzl

Austrian Jewish journalist advocating for an independent Jewish nation after the Dreyfus Affair.

zionism

Movement pushing for the creation of the state of Israel.

Emancipation Edict of 1861

Proclamation ending centuries of serfdom in Russia.

anarchy

Radical political movement advocating for the destruction of all forms of government.

Trans-Siberian Railroad

Major engineering accomplishment stretching across Siberia.

Austria-Hungary (aka: Dual Monarchy)

State formed by granting equal rights to the Hungarian minority.

Ausgleich

Decision by the Austrian government to elevate Hungarians to equal status.

Count Cavour

Prime Minister of Piedmont-Sardinia who led Italian unification.

defensive alliance

Military alliance where partners defend each other if attacked.

Giuseppe Garibaldi

Italian nationalist leader who helped unify Italy.

Red Shirts

Nationalist group led by Garibaldi that seized southern Italy.

Chancellor Otto von Bismarck

Political leader of Prussia who planned German unification.

Ems Dispatch

Telegram altered by Bismarck to provoke a war with France.

Alsace – Lorraine

Region fought over by France and Germany, historically ethnically German.